A good Great War Jutland Veteran’s Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct and Naval Good Shooting Medal group awarded to Private. E. Evans, Royal Marine Light Infantry who having been awarded the Naval Good Shooting Medal whilst serving aboard H.M.S. Hampshire in 1912 would later take part in the Battle of Jutland aboard the dreadnought battleship Conqueror.
Group of 5: 1914-1915 Star; (PO.12855 PTE. E. EVANS. R.M.L.I.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (PO.12855 PTE. E. EVANS. R.M.L.I.) Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, GVR 1st type issue; (PO. 12855 EDWARD EVANS. PRIVATE. R.M.L.I.) Naval Good Shooting Medal, GVR; (PO.12855 PTE. E. EVANS. H.M.S. HAMPSHIRE. 1912. 3. PR. Q.F.)
Condition: Good Very Fine
Edward Evans was born at Wantage, Berkshire on 17th May 1883 and enlisted for the Royal Marines in London on 3rd February 1903, being posted to the Portsmouth Division on 17th December 1903. Being awarded the Naval Good Shooting Medal whilst aboard H.M.S. Hampshire in 1912, would then see Great War service whilst embarked aboard the dreadnought battleship Conqueror from December 1914 until March 1919 including at the Battle of Jutland.
In an attempt to lure out and destroy a portion of the Grand Fleet, the High Seas Fleet, composed of sixteen dreadnoughts, six pre-dreadnoughts and supporting ships, departed the Jade Bight early on the morning of 31 May. The fleet sailed in concert with Hipper's five battlecruisers. Room 40 had intercepted and decrypted German radio traffic containing plans of the operation. In response the Admiralty ordered the Grand Fleet, totalling some 28 dreadnoughts and 9 battlecruisers, to sortie the night before to cut off and destroy the High Seas Fleet.
On 31 May, Conqueror, under the command of Captain Hugh Tothill, was the seventh ship from the head of the battle line after deployment. The ship may have had engine problems during the battle because she was having trouble maintaining 20 knots as a signal from Jellicoe at 17:17 instructed Thunderer to overtake Conqueror if she could not maintain speed. During the first stage of the general engagement, the ship fired three salvos from her main guns at one battleship at 18:31 without visible effect. She then shifted her fire to the crippled light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden, although the number of hits made, if any, is unknown. At 19:12, Conqueror fired her main guns at enemy destroyers without result and then again, at different destroyers at 19:25 with her aft turrets. This was the last time that the ship fired her guns during the battle, having expended a total of 57 twelve-inch shells (41 common pointed, capped and 16 armour-piercing, capped)
The Grand Fleet sortied on 18 August to ambush the High Seas Fleet while it advanced into the southern North Sea, but a series of miscommunications and mistakes prevented Jellicoe from intercepting the German fleet before it returned to port. Two light cruisers were sunk by German U-boats during the operation, prompting Jellicoe to decide to not risk the major units of the fleet south of 55° 30' North due to the prevalence of German submarines and mines. The Admiralty concurred and stipulated that the Grand Fleet would not sortie unless the German fleet was attempting an invasion of Britain or there was a strong possibility it could be forced into an engagement under suitable conditions.
In April 1918, the High Seas Fleet again sortied, to attack British convoys to Norway. They enforced strict wireless silence during the operation, which prevented Room 40 cryptanalysts from warning the new commander of the Grand Fleet, Admiral Beatty. The British only learned of the operation after an accident aboard the battlecruiser SMS Moltke forced her to break radio silence to inform the German commander of her condition. Beatty then ordered the Grand Fleet to sea to intercept the Germans, but he was not able to reach the High Seas Fleet before it turned back for Germany. The ship was present at Rosyth, Scotland, when the High Seas Fleet surrendered there on 21 November and she remained part of the 2nd BS through 1 March 1919.
Evans was discharged on 2nd February 1924 upon the termination of his second period of engagement, and died on 30th November 1962.